11 June 2004 00:00
Heritage as much as luxury
ByLine: Nicholas Foulkes discovers how the grand old brands of Europe are selling a place in history - as well as
jewels
On June 10 the Hermitage opened an important new exhibition of . . . watches. Yes, that's right, this summer the
celebrated St Petersburg Museum is staging a show courtesy of Breguet. And that's not the first horological event
to take place in the hallowed halls of Russia's oldest institutions.
Earlier this year two of St Petersburg's most historic sites, the Pavlovsk Palace and Tsarskoye Selo, the summer
residence of Catherine the Great, were chosen by Italian jeweller Bulgari as twin venues for a product launch.
Meanwhile, Cartier is busy with a significant exhibition in Shanghai.
It's true that a rapidly emerging economy seeks out luxury goods with which to garnish its way of life and
reward its success. It is also true that the olfactory senses of the luxury goods brands of Europe are highly tuned;
they can detect the aroma of new money even if it emanates from half-way around the world. But what is interesting is
the way in which the more intelligent and forward-looking luxury marques are cultivating their newest customers.
After the initial excitement of being able to array your trophy wife in the latest polychromatic offerings of
Donatella Versace and take her on holiday to St Tropez, Marbella or the Costa Smeralda, the discerning new-economy
plutocrat is in search of something a little more substantial. Perhaps the most cardinal sin that a luxury goods company
can make when wooing the new rich is to condescend to them: new money, especially in the quantities recently made in the
former Soviet republics and China, tends to seek out the comforting old-world values of provenance and pedigree.
And if there is something that the grand old luxury houses of Europe have in abundance, it is pedigree. Breguet was
making watches for French royalty before they were guillotined. Cartier is about to celebrate its 200th birthday.
Bulgari marked its first century a few years ago.
Besides, they all have a history in the region. Before communism, Russia and China were huge markets for western
luxury goods. Tsar Alexander I was one of Breguet's first and most influential Russian customers and according to
Emmanuel Breguet, curator of the Breguet Museum and Breguet brand manager in France, "until the revolution, Russia
was the main foreign market for Breguet. Pushkin mentioned Breguet in Yevgeny Onegin and it is very important in Russian
culture."
No surprise, then, that the Breguet exhibition of 130 pieces will reinforce that message of historical significance,
providing an overview of the sorts of watches produced by Abraham Louis Breguet, founder of the brand. Clocks, minute
repeating watches, tourbillons and other timepieces that belonged to famous figures including Alexander I, are among the
items on show.
"It is not a commercial event, of course," says Breguet, a trifle disingenuously, "but it is very
important for the revival of links with Russia: it is in the cultural field but I am sure that it will be very positive
for the business."
Nicola Bulgari agrees. "Events such as the recent St Petersburg one are extremely important to us. Clients enjoy
themselves and are left with memories that go beyond a push for sales. Our events are about the clients and the
experience, and through them, we are able to portray our brand values. The success of such events is quantifiable, not
only in the return of clients to purchase post event but also in their loyalty to the brand."
Cartier has certainly invested energy in exhibitions over a very long period of time - ever since 1911, when it held
an exhibition of tiaras to coincide with the coronation of George V. More recently, in 1997, Cartier held a major
exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, later transferred to the British Museum, and followed up by this
spring's China event.
China was historically important to Cartier as an export market and a source of inspiration; its Le Baiser du Dragon
collection and the relaunch of the 1920s wristwatch, the Tank Chinoise, are two of the most recent expressions of the
Parisian jeweller's Sinophilia.
"The Art of Cartier Exhibition in Shanghai is interesting for us for two reasons," explains Cartier
president Bernard Fornas. "We want to share our private collections with the most important number of people and we
tour around the world with exhibitions like this to share them with potential customers. For the first time ever we are
organising an exhibition in Shanghai and it is important that we show this collection to the Chinese people so they
understand our DNA, our heritage, and our culture, especially in the context of our business having been strong in this
region of the world in the past.
"For the first time we are also exhibiting contemporary pieces; so basically, out of 300 pieces exhibited at the
museum of Shanghai, 200 pieces are from Cartier's collection and 100 are contemporary designs - and of those
contemporary designs there are a number of pieces lent to us by some of our clients, and our customers are very proud to
lend us these pieces."
However, despite the inclusion of contemporary pieces, Fornas is quick to point out that "we don't sell
when we do an exhibition like this; we demonstrate our involvement over the years and over the decades".
For Cartier, the exhibitions are a way of creating and reinforcing the Cartier world. On a social level, this finds
its expression in such events as the Cartier International Polo (if you are a good Cartier customer you are invited to
sip flutes of Champagne Cuvee Cartier, mingle with celebrities in a tastefully dressed marquee, and even glimpse the
occasional chukka of polo).
Even more alluringly, however, while Breguet offers visitors to its exhibition at the Hermitage the chance to marvel
at the possessions of long-dead patrons of the master watchmaker's art, Cartier offers a few select customers the
opportunity to exhibit their possessions alongside exquisite pieces from earlier generations that have been sanctified
and anointed with the patina of passing years. In the words of Fornas, these lucky few "have bought a page of
history".
After all, in any market there are a great many companies who can offer you expensive jewellery or complicated
wristwatches, but only a few who can sell you a place in history as well.
DETAILS
Watches to watch:
www.bulgari.com
www.cartier.com
www.breguet.com
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